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San Francisco is a marvellous city for any wide eyed traveller looking to find all the great things that American cities have to offer. More than that, San Francisco is a cultural hub, a place where you’ll see and feel culture.

A vibrant foodie haven, a place of art and of course a city that comes with an abundance of must see tourist attractions – it’s a hard place to fit everything in for the traveller. Luckily for you, we’ve created 4 top tips for anyone heading to the city of bright lights.

Thinking about checking out some of San Fran’s best and most beloved restaurants? You should be so lucky. San Francisco is home to devout foodies – if you want to be part of the scene for a few hours, it’s imperative to book well ahead of your time. So, do your homework and call well in advance if good food is on your to do list. Pier 39 in San Francisco will give you a great choice of eateries at a spectacular location; well worth getting along to.

The Culture

A visit to San Francisco would not be complete without experiencing all this wonderful city has to offer. Home to internationally recognized symphony, opera and ballet companies – you’ll never be short of a thing or do to do and see and it’s important to take the time to squeeze this all in. Museum’s come in abundance – The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, the Asian Art Museum, the de Young Museum, the Palace of the Legion of Honor.

The city is dedicated to the finest of classical and contemporary arts and of course is home to California Academy of Sciences which homes an aquarium, a planetarium, a natural history museum, and a 4-story rainforest all under one roof. Our best advice is to plan and book ahead – these places are always busy. Create a schedule and ensure you have prearranged tickets for both the place and your travel arrangements to get there. In terms of location, Hotels in San Francisco are amongst the finest in the world and you’ll have no issues finding something central.

Getting around

Don’t visit San Francisco and expect public transport to the standards of NYC or Europe. It can be good at best but a lot of the time, it’s confusing. There are two separate tickets you have to buy for BART (subway) and MUNI (buses/streetcars), don’t assume the ticket you bought for BART works on MUNI. Taxis/cabs are few and far between and hailing one from the street is next to impossible. If you are tech savvy, consider hailing a ride using the mobile apps from Uber, Lyft, or SideCar, they are much faster and more reliable than hailing a cab on the street. Or if you don’t own a smartphone – consider calling ahead to order for pick up.

Clothing and shoe wear

Bring warm clothes, such as jumpers and jeans but leave your parka and ski gloves at home. It’s much easier to dress in layers, especially in a city like San Francisco were you are likely to be doing a lot of walking, you’ll be much happier dressing in layers. The average temperature here is about 62° F / 16.5°C, even in the summer. Thinking about packing those heels? Don’t. You’ll need comfortable walking shoes; San Fran is famous for its steep hills and avenues.